Bas Rutten

Bas Rutten is one of the most well respected fighters and personalities in mixed martial arts history. He is a former King of Pancrase, UFC heavyweight champion and has transitioned into a career as a color analyst and co-host of HDNet's Inside MMA.

Rutten had an astounding fighting career spanning more than 14 years of active competition. Before transitioning into an MMA career, the Dutchman competed in high-level muay thai kickboxing in the Netherlands. Winning 16 fights fights in total — 14 by KO — Rutten finished his kickboxing career with back-to-back losses.

In 30 fights in Pancrase, Rutten finished with a 25-4-1 record. Rutten suffered two losses to UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock and another to Ken's adopted brother, Frank.

Rutten made his UFC debut in January 1999 at UFC 18. He would go on to win the UFC heavyweight championship at UFC 20 later that same year. Rutten would never defend his title as he retired from competition following his victory.

Rutten has also appeared in various TV shows and feature films. In 2007, Rutten made a notable appearance on the National Geographic Channel program Fight Science. He was able to demonstrate the destructive force of an uppercut when a single strike measured out to 1300lbs of force. The strike was enough to rupture a spleen and cause internal bleeding.

Rutten is the owner of Elite Mixed Martial Arts MMA gym in Thousand Oaks, California. He also works as an instructor teaching MMA classes.